This episode covers the often-overlooked statue of Thomas Becket in the grounds of St. Paul's Cathedral.
According to the National Museum of the American Indian, some people prefer "Native American" and some prefer "American Indian", so I switch between them.
The discovery of (what was at the time) the world's largest fatberg underneath Whitechapel Road hearkens back to another crisis in London's sewerage: the Great Stink of 1858.
In this episode, we look at the mural on the side of St. George's Town Hall, and what it can teach us about fighting back the rising tide of fascism.
In this episode, I head out to Abney Park Cemetery, and bring you my thoughts from this neo-gothic, ivy-covered, album-cover photographer's dream.
This episode is a love letter- a literal sonnet- to one of the most hidden parts of London I know. I've never seen this in any guidebook or website- I only heard about it through word of mouth. If you want to find it for yourself, you'll first have to find your way into the underground London Wall Car Park. The entrance is hidden round a weird bend in the road and under a bridge. Then you'll have to go all the way down to Bay 51, which takes a good ten minutes on foot. I believe this is the largest chunk of the Roman wall still standing. There are larger chunks on either side of London Wall road and near Tower Hill station, but although they stand where the original wall once stood, the actual fabric of those is medieval and Victorian. You can tell this is Roman because of its distinctive tile-stone-tile stripes. The first wall around London (or Londinium as it was called by the Romans) was built c.120AD of wood. It was rebuilt in stone around 200 AD.
In this episode, we look at the statue of the suffragist Millicent Garrett Fawcett in Parliament Square, and her how eloquently she argued for the vote.
Today we're looking at the Piccadilly Circus lights, and the way its advertisers collect data on those in the square to personalise the adverts shown.
In this episode, we're looking at the Great Fire of London.
In this episode, we're looking at beer production and consumption in Southwark, where there was a whole beer industry, from hop trading to brewing to taverns.
In this episode, we're looking at the mysterious "Arnolfini Portrait" by Northern Renaissance artist Jan van Eyck, on display in the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. I think the Northern Renaissance- van Eyck, Holbein, Durer- is a really good place to start if you're looking to learn about art history. It's really skilful, but at the same time you can still see places where they can still improve, like how the perspective and anatomy are a little off in this painting.
In this video, we're looking at Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. Who is that guy and why is he stood on that big pole?
In this video, we're looking at the second of Henry VIII's wives, Queen Anne Boleyn, and doing some feminist history!
In this video, we're looking Hoa Hakananai'a, an Easter Island statue that you can see for free right here in London!
In this video, we look at stolen African artworks in the British Museum commonly called the "Benin Bronzes".
In this video, we look the ruins on Clink Street of the medieval Winchester Palace.
In this video, we are looking at the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, housed in the original Crystal Palace.
In this video, we are looking at Noor Inayat Khan, a spy and resistance fighter in Nazi-occupied France during WWII.
We've seen a lot of people and places so far- I thought it was time we met an animal. This is Sophie the Stegosaurus!
During the Second World War, Londoners were subjected to a bombing campaign we call "The Blitz". Today, we associate "Blitz Spirit" with high morale, upstanding citizenship, and being a good neighbour. But how much of that actually went on? Let's investigate.
Behind the Wapping pub, The Prospect Of Whitby, there's a horrific reminder of London's bloody past.
Just a quick one today. I have to talk about the Wellington memorial for an upcoming exam, and so this is my way of both practising and going off on my own little tangent about democracy and memorialisation.
Answering White People's Questions About Slavery
I've been thinking about what happens after a plague recently.
No, I don't know what my camera is doing here. My set-up's held together with cardboard and blu-tack at the moment.
A Genderqueer Sex Worker In Medieval London
Content warning: mentions of sexual abuse, suicide. Yes, it is awkward being next-door neighbours with THE ACTUAL SUN, thank you for asking.
Man, The History Boys is an INCREDIBLY dated reference now.
The itinerary: Walk around St. Paul's Cathedral No. 15 bus to Tower of London Tower of London visit Walk over Tower Bridge to Borough Market Lunch at Borough market Jubilee line from London Bridge to Westminster Westminster walk
Oh, and some railings are made out of stretchers or whatever.
The final quote is from the 18th-century historian Edward Gibbon in his "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire".
I watched this film SO MANY TIMES before I realised that Mike Jackson is Eli Dingle off Emmerdale.